Bleak House Leads BBC HD Trials
BBC's HD stream starts tomorrow, 11th of May, with promotional previews on the Sky Electronic Programme Guide. Full high definition broadcasting trials will be aired by the end of May, with Bleak House and Planet Earth the first programmes to be screened.
Sky has confirmed it will begin installation of HD set-top boxes from 22 May, with the first real programming from the BBC starting on 27th May. On that day five opening episodes of Planet Earth will be screened and the next day, 16 half-hour episodes of Bleak House will be broadcast.
SPORT SIMULCASTING
The BBC will start broadcasting on cable starting on 9th June, offering NTL Telewest subscribers World Cup and Wimbledon coverage simulcast in HD. From July onwards the BBC’s HD stream will show highlights of drama, documentary, events and music for a few hours each day.
AUDIENCE APPETITE TASTER
The one-year trial aims to test both the technology and the audience appetite for HD and is linked to the BBC's inflation-busting licence fee bid. Part of its £700m allocation for technology is intended to support HD broadcasting. The corporation has meantime published research showing that 93% of those surveyed expect the BBC to broadcast free-to-air in HD.